Facebook Shops is live

Facebook Shops, which allows businesses to set up stores to sell products, with no fee, on Facebook and Instagram, is now live.

The company is allowing businesses to set up stores to sell products, with no fee, on its Facebook and Instagram platforms and the initiative is set to roll out to Whatsapp too.

The launch of the new feature has been brought forward due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Facebook's Layla Amjadi told BBC News: "It's bigger than usual just because we want to make sure we're moving quickly to get these tools in the hands of as many businesses wherever they are, big or small, to help them survive during this time.

"This will be a really seamless experience. You can go much deeper now without having to leave the app

Product manager George Lee added: "Obviously, given the current situation, we have accelerated a lot of our efforts.

"We're in a unique position to be able to contribute to the survival of a bunch of these businesses."

The company has previously used a no-fees approach in its Facebook Marketplace.